I just finished this series... and wow. It's easily one of my favorite shows of all time. It's a slow build from season 1 to season 3, but season 3 culminates in some of the best television I've ever watched.
The ten episode Season 1 and the first couple of episodes start out as a cute little fucked-up satire of old Christian claymation shows like Davey and Goliath. People get horribly murdered, people say things that are misinterpreted by our main character, Orel, and shenanigans happen. Things are fucked up with this town called Moralton, but in a way that's cute and has no stakes. People are one-dimensional figures because everyone is a caricature.
Season 2, however, slowly builds to flesh out Moralton and it's residents. The show still mostly takes the format of the traditional "a new adventure per week," but we begin to see cracks in the image or Moralton and how Moralton exists around our Orel. The messed-up characters that are the "guiding adults" of Moralton get closer analysis. This is when the role of religion in Moralton changes for the viewer. We see that religion is the only thing holding this town and its people together. We see their hypocrisy not as evil, but as actions done in fear, self-hate, and coping through their failures. Religion in Moralton is necessary to have any semblance of order in their chaotic, messed-up lives filled with disappointment and unfulfillment.
The season ends with the two part finale "Nature," which is a turning point for Orel and the show. I won't spoil much, but after this, the show drops the "adventure per week" format into something much more deeper and introspective. Something happens that changes the future of the show completely.
Then, season 3 is all about the consequences of that finale. The creators of the show said that if the show got to a 4th or 5th season, they would have evolved the show into "Moralton," focusing on the town as a whole. It's safe to say that Season 3 taps into that idea heavily. We get perspective from a multitude of characters, and Moralton becomes the center of the show instead of Orel. This is the season where you learn why every adult in Moralton are the way they are. This season truly uses all the buildup from season 1 and 2 to go past Orel and explore some fantastic parts of its universe.
Now for spoiler notes(only read if you've watched the show):
-This show has some really brutal moments via quips/quotes, on par with Rick and Morty and Bojack Horseman. I really think this show was really ahead of its time when it came out, and I think bringing the show back under "Moralton" and doing more episodes would actually be pretty successful.
-Goddamn is Clay such a great antagonist. You know he's all sorts of fucked up from the beginning, but the hunting trip solidifes him as one of the most evil characters in television history. Yet season 3 does a great job of garnering some sympathy for him, and his backstory with his mother and father is tragic, as is the way he was conned into marriage with his wife. The only thing that makes him happy is his relationship with Coach, which leads me to...
-Coach and Clay's gay relationship is heartbreaking as it is fucked up. I personally rooted for them even though I think Coach and Clay don't deserve any happiness in their lives, and their "breakup" in the final episode is brutal. Though I sort of wished they did more with this though, as it only really pops up in season 1 and 3.
-Doughy is also my favorite character. He has the soul of an angel, and all he wants is his parents' acknowledgement, which is difficult when they're essentially high schoolers trapped in their own world. But his reactions and voice are my favorite.
In conclusion/TL;DR: Moral Orel is one of my favorite animated shows(and just shows) of all time, mostly due to season 3. Ahead of it's time, it deserves a revisit if you're a fan of Bojack Horseman or Rick and Morty or animated shows in the similar vein. I'd love to see a kickstarter for seasons 4 or 5 sometime in my life.
The ten episode Season 1 and the first couple of episodes start out as a cute little fucked-up satire of old Christian claymation shows like Davey and Goliath. People get horribly murdered, people say things that are misinterpreted by our main character, Orel, and shenanigans happen. Things are fucked up with this town called Moralton, but in a way that's cute and has no stakes. People are one-dimensional figures because everyone is a caricature.
Season 2, however, slowly builds to flesh out Moralton and it's residents. The show still mostly takes the format of the traditional "a new adventure per week," but we begin to see cracks in the image or Moralton and how Moralton exists around our Orel. The messed-up characters that are the "guiding adults" of Moralton get closer analysis. This is when the role of religion in Moralton changes for the viewer. We see that religion is the only thing holding this town and its people together. We see their hypocrisy not as evil, but as actions done in fear, self-hate, and coping through their failures. Religion in Moralton is necessary to have any semblance of order in their chaotic, messed-up lives filled with disappointment and unfulfillment.
The season ends with the two part finale "Nature," which is a turning point for Orel and the show. I won't spoil much, but after this, the show drops the "adventure per week" format into something much more deeper and introspective. Something happens that changes the future of the show completely.
Then, season 3 is all about the consequences of that finale. The creators of the show said that if the show got to a 4th or 5th season, they would have evolved the show into "Moralton," focusing on the town as a whole. It's safe to say that Season 3 taps into that idea heavily. We get perspective from a multitude of characters, and Moralton becomes the center of the show instead of Orel. This is the season where you learn why every adult in Moralton are the way they are. This season truly uses all the buildup from season 1 and 2 to go past Orel and explore some fantastic parts of its universe.
Now for spoiler notes(only read if you've watched the show):
-This show has some really brutal moments via quips/quotes, on par with Rick and Morty and Bojack Horseman. I really think this show was really ahead of its time when it came out, and I think bringing the show back under "Moralton" and doing more episodes would actually be pretty successful.
-Goddamn is Clay such a great antagonist. You know he's all sorts of fucked up from the beginning, but the hunting trip solidifes him as one of the most evil characters in television history. Yet season 3 does a great job of garnering some sympathy for him, and his backstory with his mother and father is tragic, as is the way he was conned into marriage with his wife. The only thing that makes him happy is his relationship with Coach, which leads me to...
-Coach and Clay's gay relationship is heartbreaking as it is fucked up. I personally rooted for them even though I think Coach and Clay don't deserve any happiness in their lives, and their "breakup" in the final episode is brutal. Though I sort of wished they did more with this though, as it only really pops up in season 1 and 3.
-Doughy is also my favorite character. He has the soul of an angel, and all he wants is his parents' acknowledgement, which is difficult when they're essentially high schoolers trapped in their own world. But his reactions and voice are my favorite.
In conclusion/TL;DR: Moral Orel is one of my favorite animated shows(and just shows) of all time, mostly due to season 3. Ahead of it's time, it deserves a revisit if you're a fan of Bojack Horseman or Rick and Morty or animated shows in the similar vein. I'd love to see a kickstarter for seasons 4 or 5 sometime in my life.